Boone County Jail

Boone County Jail is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Burlington, Kentucky. It falls under the Chicago Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

How to locate or contact a detainee

To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. You will need the person’s A-number (Alien Registration Number) and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

To ask whether someone is held here, and to leave an urgent message for a detainee, ICE publishes one number: (859) 334-2143. ICE’s page gives the hours for detainee-information calls as 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (checked October 16, 2026). To leave an urgent message, you must talk to the shift supervisor and give the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), and your name and a phone number where you can be reached. ICE says the detainee is given the message only “If deemed urgent.” Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. Have the person’s biographical information ready when you call (full legal name and any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth). ICE’s page also refers callers to the Boone County Jail website. Visiting hours are listed under Visiting in person below.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

Each facility publishes its own exact mail format. At Boone County Jail, ICE’s page says general mail is addressed with the detainee’s name and Jail ID Number (not the A-number), and incoming mail must be sent on a plain, pre-stamped U.S. Postal Service post card (details below; checked October 16, 2026). This facility’s own ICE page says the mail “is not read upon opening, only inspected by the delivering officer.” ICE’s national standard, against which ODO inspected this facility in November 2024 (see the inspection record below), allows more: Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E), incoming general mail is opened and inspected for contraband, and outgoing general mail may be inspected and read if it is addressed to another detainee or staff have reason to believe it threatens the facility’s security or order, endangers someone, or could facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, courts and judges, government attorneys, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President of the United States, members of Congress, the Department of Justice (including the immigration courts), DHS (including ICE/ERO, IHSC, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), grievance administrators, and the news media — may not be read or copied by staff. Incoming special correspondence is inspected for contraband in the detainee’s presence; outgoing special correspondence is not opened, inspected or read, and if a need exists, any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence. The standard limits any inspection to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence. Mail counts as special correspondence only if the envelope unambiguously identifies the title and office of the sender (incoming mail) or of the addressee (outgoing mail). Rules for commissary (account) deposits and permitted personal items vary by facility, and so does the number that handles them — ICE names a separate facility mail clerk on some facility pages. This facility’s deposit route, accepted form of payment and contacts are in the Sending Items to Detainees section of its own ICE page (linked above).

What ICE publishes for this facility’s mail, money, and packages

Everything in this list comes from ICE’s page for Boone County Jail (checked October 16, 2026).

• General mail address: ICE says to use the detainee’s Jail ID Number, not the A-number:

C/O Detainee Name, Jail ID Number (not the A number)
Boone County Jail
PO Box 898
Burlington, KY 41005

• Legal mail sent by family goes to:

Boone County KY Jail Administration
C/O Detainee Name
PO Box 898
Burlington, KY 41005

• Post cards only: all incoming mail must be sent on a plain, pre-stamped U.S. Postal Service post card bought at an official U.S. Post Office location, and only cards completed in pen or pencil are accepted. Cards completed with marker or crayon, or carrying address labels, stickers or glue, are returned to the sender. A card must have both a return address and the sender’s full name; it is destroyed if either is missing.
• Photos: each must have a stamp on the back and the sender’s full name and return address, or it is destroyed. A detainee may keep no more than two 3x5 photos.
• Magazines, newspapers and paperback books must come through a subscription or the publisher.
• Privileged mail from the Department of Corrections, courts, practicing attorneys and public officials is accepted and searched for contraband in the detainee’s presence.
• Rejected mail: the Jailer may refuse any package other than legal mail from an attorney, at his sole discretion, and may confiscate mail that in his sole discretion may jeopardize the jail’s security. The detainee and the sender are told in writing whenever mail is rejected. Detainees may not correspond with inmates in any correctional facility.
• Commissary money: use the kiosk in the jail lobby or www.jailatm.com. Money may not be sent by postal mail; funds received in the mail are returned to the sender.
• Phone-minute money: call 877-998-5678 or visit www.inmatesales.com.
• Packages: before sending one, email the Chicago Field Office detained unit at chi-ero-detained@ice.dhs.gov. A detainee may receive only items needed solely for travel or release from custody, with the approval of the ICE Deportation Officer.
• Luggage for removal: one small piece is allowed. If the person has none, luggage can be sent or delivered after approval from an ICE Deportation Officer. No electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, laptop computers, radios, etc.) are accepted.
• Outgoing mail leaves daily except on Sundays and holidays, and detainees may seal their own letters. Outgoing mail must carry the detainee’s name and Boone County Jail, P.O. Box 898, Burlington, Kentucky 41005, or it is not mailed. Outgoing mail returned as undeliverable is destroyed, and the detainee does not receive it.
• Stamps: detainees may buy them. Indigent detainees (no means of financial support and no funds in their facility account) get a postage allowance at government expense.
• Transfers and departures: only legal mail is forwarded; general correspondence is returned to sender.
• Electronic messages: ICE says the jail currently has no tablets.

Visiting in person

Per ICE’s page for this facility (checked October 16, 2026), friends-and-family visits are held on these days:

• Scheduling: visits must be scheduled through inmatesales.com. Detainees are allotted 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 15 minutes on Saturdays.
• Arrival: all visitors must arrive 45 minutes before the scheduled visit time to clear security.
• ID and minors: adult visitors must present a valid, verifiable government-issued identification card. Minors must be accompanied by an adult guardian (18 or older) and may not be left unaccompanied in the waiting room, the visiting room or any other area.
• Rules: all family and other social visits are non-contact. Visitors may not pass items to detainees or carry any items into the visitation area. Photos and video recordings are not permitted in the visitation area, appropriate clothing is required, and visitors who are or appear intoxicated are not allowed to visit.
• Search: everyone entering is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan search, and anyone refusing a reasonable search is not admitted. Firearms and weapons are banned, and electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) are not permitted in the secure areas.
• Parking and accessibility: visitor parking is available next to the facility. ICE’s page states that the facility does not discriminate based on disability and provides detainees with disability-related accommodations, as needed, to access its programs and activities (checked October 17, 2026).
• Clergy may visit at any time but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office.
• Consular officials may meet their detained nationals at any time. ICE asks that they arrange the visit with an ICE Officer in advance to the extent possible, through chi-ero-detained@ice.dhs.gov, and bring appropriate credentials.

Legal access, attorneys, and immigration court information

Detainees have the right to speak with an attorney, and attorney–client visits and calls are confidential. For information about a case before the immigration court (EOIR), EOIR’s automated line 1-800-898-7180 (toll-free, 24 hours a day, English and Spanish) gives the next hearing date and case status; callers enter the 9 digits of the A-number, without the letter A (EOIR, checked October 24, 2026). For a matter before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the main line of EOIR (the Justice Department agency the BIA belongs to) is (703) 305-0289. Applications for relief from removal must be filed directly with the immigration court handling the case. If you cannot afford an attorney, the immigration court can provide a list of pro bono legal service providers — see the related resources below.

Booking legal visits, video calls, and legal calls

Per ICE’s page for this facility (checked October 16, 2026):

• In-person confidential visits: Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except during the times allotted for friends-and-family visits. The page says this visitation “does not need to be scheduled in advance,” but it also says “All confidential visits must be scheduled the day prior to the visit online at inmatesales.com.”
• Remote confidential visits are held over video, Monday through Saturday, and are scheduled through inmatesales.com.
• Account first: a representative must set up an inmatesales.com account and have credentials verified by the facility administrator before scheduling confidential (non-recorded, non-monitored) visits, and ICE asks representatives to allow sufficient time for this. Verification requests go to ojeffries@boonecountyky.org and cgunkel@boonecountyky.org. After verification, an email explains how to schedule.
• In-person non-confidential visits may be scheduled Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., online or at inmatesales.com.
• ID: legal representatives must present a valid, verifiable government-issued identification card.
• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, so representatives download a copy of the submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Case information and the client’s Deportation Officer: email the Chicago Field Office detained unit at chi-ero-detained@ice.dhs.gov. A G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed, and the mailbox does not accept applications for a Stay of Removal or case appeals.
• Legal mail from family uses the Jail Administration address shown in the mail section above.
• Pro bono list: ICE says a list of free legal organizations is posted in all housing units and updated quarterly, and that contacting a provider for an appointment is the detainee’s responsibility.

Feedback, complaints, and oversight

To report a concern about conditions at this facility or the conduct of an ICE or contract employee, contact the ERO Chicago Field Office that oversees this facility, or file a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). On its own Make a Civil Rights Complaint page DHS publishes one channel — the online portal at engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint; CBP additionally publishes, for the same office, the e-mail address CRCL@dhs.gov, fax (202) 401-4708, and the postal address DHS/CRCL, Compliance Branch, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Mail Stop #0190, Washington, DC 20528-0190. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline is 1-800-323-8603.

This facility’s own ICE page (checked October 16, 2026) adds these channels:

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 101 W Ida B Wells Drive, Suite 4000, Chicago, Illinois 60605, phone (872) 351-3990.
• ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (by mail): Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th Street, SW, Suite 1049, Mailstop 5099, Washington, DC 20536-5005.
• ICE OPR Integrity Coordination Center: 1-833-4ICE-OPR or ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov.

A news reporter who wants to interview someone held here must apply in writing to the Chicago Field Office, Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, indicating familiarity with and agreement to comply with the facility rules and regulations provided by staff. ICE writes: “Ordinarily, live television or radio interviews will not be permitted in the facility.” Media inquiries about ICE go to ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov. A detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded, and the reporter must first obtain the detainee’s written permission.

ICE inspection record

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, conducted a compliance inspection of Boone County Jail on November 19–21, 2024, under the National Detention Standards (NDS) 2019. ERO Chicago is the responsible field office (ODO report). Per ICE’s November 2024 inspection:

• Findings: ODO assessed 21 standards and found the facility compliant with 20. It found three deficiencies in the remaining standard, Medical Care, and all three are repeat deficiencies:

• Trend: at its last rated inspection in November 2023, the facility had 4 deficient standards and 9 deficiencies. ODO wrote that overall compliance “has trended upward.” It also said the November 2023 corrective action plan “may not have been effective in resolving ODO’s previously cited deficiencies,” and it recommended that ERO Chicago keep working with the facility on the deficiencies that remain outstanding.
• Detainee interviews: ODO interviewed 33 detainees who agreed to take part; 12 others declined. None alleged discrimination, mistreatment or abuse, and all 33 reported satisfaction with facility services.

Earlier inspections

• May 14–16, 2024 — ODO Unannounced Follow-Up Compliance Inspection (report): under NDS 2019, ODO assessed 16 standards, found compliance with 10, and found 8 deficiencies in the remaining 6 standards — Environmental Health and Safety (no documented daily visual inspections of medical areas), Facility Security and Control (visitor log missing arrival and departure time columns, corrected on-site on May 15, 2024), Special Management Units (multi-disciplinary committee did not meet weekly for a detainee with a serious mental illness from April 27 to May 15, 2024), Food Service (no ceremonial-meal schedule for FY 2024), Medical Care (comprehensive health assessments and initial dental screenings completed between 17 and 46 days after arrival instead of within 14 days, and nurse practitioners and registered nurses conducting assessments without documented annual physician training in 2023 or 2024), and Recreation (no fixed equipment in three outdoor recreation areas).
• May 16–18, 2023 — ODO Follow-Up Compliance Inspection (initial report; amended report as of July 27, 2023): under NDS 2000, the initial report assessed 18 standards, found compliance with 13, and cited 9 deficiencies across 5 standards (Visitation, Key and Lock Control, Medical Care, Suicide Prevention and Intervention, and Terminal Illness, Advance Directives and Death). ODO’s amended report (dated as of July 27, 2023) removed the Key and Lock Control deficiency after ODO received documentation of compliance with the locksmith-training requirement; OCR text from the amended conclusion page reports compliance with 14 of 18 standards and 8 deficiencies in the remaining 4 standards.
• November 29–December 1, 2022 — ODO Compliance Inspection (report): under NDS 2000, the table of contents lists findings under Admission and Release (detainees not receiving the site-specific handbook at admission), Correspondence and Other Mail (handbook omissions regarding identity documents and mail rejection notices missing the A-number and sender name; the rejection notice was corrected before the inspection ended), Hold Rooms in Detention Facilities (an area of concern, not a deficiency), and Key and Lock Control (security officers had not completed an approved locksmith-training program). OCR text from the scanned conclusion page reports compliance with 21 of 24 standards reviewed (22 under NDS 2000 and 2 under NDS 2019), 4 deficiencies in the remaining 3 standards, and a Superior rating.
• May 3–5, 2022 — ODO Follow-Up Compliance Inspection (report) and October 26–28, 2021 — ODO Compliance Inspection (report).
• December 14–18, 2020: ODO’s inspection report found that the facility did not obtain forwarding addresses in 15 out of 18 detainee files.
• July 27–30, 2020: ODO’s inspection report found that release processing did not include fingerprinting.
• June 17–19, 2014: ODO’s inspection report recorded 16 standards inspected, compliance with six, and 20 deficiencies in the remaining ten standards.

Related procedural resources

• Know Your Rights — what to do if ICE detains you
• EOIR immigration court schedules and procedures
• BIA-recognized legal-aid organizations in Kentucky
• Other ICE detention facilities in Kentucky
• All facilities under the Chicago Field Office